Mormon Leaders Speak of Protecting Family, Obedience to Commandments

Members across the world experienced a spiritual feast as they tuned in to the Church’s 183rd Semi-Annual General Conference, Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th. More than 100 thousand members attended the Salt Lake City Conference Center and millions more watched via cable, satellite, and Internet.

My family tuned in at home, curling up around the TV to hear the words of our living prophet, apostles, and other Church leaders. In my heart, I could feel the truthfulness of their words and felt the Holy Spirit speak to my soul that they were, indeed, servants of Jesus Christ. The Spirit they brought into our home was that of peace and holiness that I wished I could bottle up and keep forever.

While many wonderful addresses were given, two themes of the Conference that stood out to me were the importance of protecting the family and of obedience to the commandments.

Protecting the Family
I especially loved the address by L. Whitney Clayton of the Quorum of the Seventy, who spoke about what he had “watched and learned from wonderful and faithful marriages.” Elder Clayton gave five pillars that the happiest marriages are built upon.

First, they treasure their relationship among any other, leaving parents behind. Second, they have faith in obeying God’s commandments. Third, they have repentance to help “restore and maintain peace.” Fourth, they respect each other and consider one another as their equal. Fifth, they live together in love and “cleave together” with complete fidelity and devotion.

“Marriage is a gift from God to us,” Elder Clayton said. “The quality of our marriages is a gift from us to Him.”

Another address that really stood out both to me and to my children was by the General Primary President (worldwide children’s organization), Rosemary M. Wixom. She really made me think about my own family when she said “distractions keep kids from feeling the light (of Christ).” She advised families to choose a time each day to disconnect all electronics and connect with one another. In the days since her address, I have taken her admonition to heart and have found that my family has grown closer as our attention has turned away from the world and instead to each other.

Obedience
The second theme of the Conference was obedience to the commandments. Church Apostle L. Tom Perry said that obedience to the commandments is liberty.

“We must not pick and choose which commandments we think are important to keep but acknowledge all of God’s commandments,” Elder Perry said. “We must stand firm and steadfast, having perfect confidence in the Lord’s consistency and perfect trust in His promises.”

Elder Perry added that we are fighting a war against sin through our thoughts, words, and deeds. One way to measure ourselves is by one of the oldest standards — the Ten Commandments, he said.

“The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging. Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty, and, in turn, their eternal happiness comes from obedience to His laws.”

Our living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, also spoke on obedience. He told a story about when he was eight and started a fire. He and his family had gone to a vacation home in the woods. One day, he and a friend got into mischief and thought if they started a fire, it would only burn where they wanted it to go.

To their dismay, the fire rapidly spread until all the vacationers were fighting the fire. That day President Monson and his friend learned the importance of obedience to not only the laws of nature, but the laws of God.

President Monson taught that “obedience is the first law of heaven.” Just as the laws of the land give us physical safety, God’s commandments give us spiritual safety, he said.

I loved his reminder of how our Savior, Jesus Christ, was the best example of obedience. As He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane preparing to atone for the sins of the world, Jesus pled with God the Father saying: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

After hearing the words of the Lord’s servants, I feel a renewed strength to live a better life–to become a better wife and mother, but most importantly, a true disciple of Christ.